I'm slowly recovering from hibernation

It's been a painful process just trying to talk myself into updating.

The weekend before Halloween we took a last minute trip down to Newps (Thank you Tracy for using that word on your blog, it's hilarious. It reminded me of when Melissa called it Newpy...also hilarious). The trip was short, but heavenly, as they always are. The weather was absolutely perfect. I can never explain enough how much we love that place. The connection we feel to it and the people we know there. It was where we started our family, where we met some of our greatest friends. And after yesterday's bitter, bitter weather, I want to move back, like, tomorrow. So I will take us to the beach here, with some shots from our trip.

We went to Montage beach down in Laguna with Kristin and Jared and their two cuties. This beach was beautiful, can't believe we had never visited.







Beach and B.j.s near the balboa pier with the lovely Castillos.






Fashion Island, I think our first night. Dinner at wahoos.





We met Wendy for lunch and then she snapped a few little pictures of us.





The night we got home I got sick with something fierce. It took me down for a week. I don't know what it was, but I pretty much had everything in the book, all at once. Dave got it too. And then Cooper got a fever literally 1/2 hour before we went out trick or treating. So after his second house and barfing all over the sidewalk we were all inside with our sweats on, feeling like crud. Although it wasn't a great halloween, it was memorable. And we spent it together which is what makes me happy. Since halloween, I have no clue what I've been doing. Christmas hasn't been stressful at all...and that is probably because I have done nothing. No joke, nothing. Which is all of sudden stressful. Shoot...I should probably get on it. Why must I wait till the last minute to do everything in my life?!

112th post

Once again, I have waited at least two weeks to blog. I am on such a roll.

It is 6:24 am and there is no strange reason for me to be up this early. When fall rolls around, for some reason, Cooper wakes up earlier, waayyy earlier. I will never understand. I already miss the 14 long days of summer. Don't you agree thats about how many we have here in the indecisve land of Utah? Totally. I can't complain though cause heaven knows how much I obsess over autumn.

May I start out with the hugest news in the history of the world????? Coop actually peed on the toilet. ON THE TOILET. That day was a wonderful day...there were almost tears of joy. But I didn't allow myself to get my hopes up. And good thing I didn't cause he's peed on the toilet maybe twice since then. Awesome.

Reese has been keeping things extremely real for me as of lately. I don't know what switch went off in her head, but I must say the baby that I once new was a far sweeter version of the girl that I know I now. It might be the teething. She's chewing on her little hands constantly, she gets fevers like they are going out of style, she will not, under any circumstances, let me put her down, and she wants to take like 4 teeny tiny naps a day. I will just continue telling myself it's a phase. It's a phase.....

I had a great weekend. Any time spent with family from Canada is great. Besides this weekend, the kids the I have had a pretty laid back couple weeks. Good thing I have a few pictures to look back on, or else I would forget everything...since I do forget everything.

Last week we hit up the pumpkin patch. I love the pumpkin patch. Coop was giddy when he saw that the tractor he sat on last year was there still.


This picture cracks me up


This is the #1 reason I love daybreak. Coop's got some good buds here.

There is no other reason for posting these, other than they melt my heart.

"Growing Old Is Getting Old"

I can't get this seriously awesome Silversun Pickups song out of my head. When I like a song, I listen to it over and over again until I can't bear it anymore. I seem to run everything into the ground. My problem is that I can only do it one thing at a time. One song at a time, one interest at a time, I can't talk on my phone and do anything else at the same time. I'm a one track mind kinda gal. Kudos to all you people who can do everything at once.

This is why I despise blogging. I never seem to write about the interesing things that go on our lives. I write about the miniscule, mindless thoughts that pop into my head. Then I think, holy...why did I write about that? I should delete it. Then sometimes I don't, and all you lucky people get to hear about it.

See?

As I'm sure everyone else is, I'm enjoying the colder weather. I'm in a clean my house, stay inside and eat food, watch gilmore girls kind of mood. And it seems like I've done just that a whole lot lately. I'm such a home body.

The first rainy day last week, we ventured out to the library to pick up a new load of books for the kids. Before getting into the car Coop ran out into the alley and basked in the rain for a bit. These are seriously the only measley pics I've taken forever, so enjoy.





Check out these ridiculously cute bloomers that my talented friend Karrie made for me. There is a dress that goes with them, but the bloomers are cute by themselves, don't you agree? Nothing compliments her chubalicious body better.



Poor Reese has had a rough couple weeks. It started out with a literal bang, as I accidentally rammed my camera right into her brand new tooth and chipped the crap out of it. Way to go, me. Then she got some sort of eye infection last week which made it hard for her to see out of her goopy eyes and hard for me to look at her goopy eyes. She's good now, and back to her spunky, active self.

The day Reese's love affair with cake began

The day after Reese's birthday we invited a few of our favorite people to our house for cake, and really nothing else. I know...you're thinking wow, she knows how to throw a party. No, no I don't. It was super low key. The only thing I like about a one year old's birthday party is watching them shove cake down their throats and all over their face. Totally entertaining. So we watched Reese do just that, then we shoved cake down our throats. It was great.






We moved her up to her high chair to finish the dirty job




Then I just got sick of taking pictures and wanted to visit with people.

Near the end, she started looking drunk. Then eventually she just sat there, not moving a muscle...staring at nothing. It was awfully cute. Thanks family and friends who came. It was fun having you there to share the love and eat cake...

I still can't believe she is one!!

My birfday girl

My little miniature slice of pumpkin pie is one today. I can't believe it. Seriously, what happened. Where has my tiny, newborn gone?

Oh, but I can't complain. She gets better and better by the quick second. More smiley, more mobile, more delicious, more fun....and more destructive. I won't lie, a future of pure destruction does make me nervous. But, I'll enjoy her in the meantime.

She still seems like a lil 9 month old. It may have to do with her late desire to crawl, or her lack of being able to take a single step on those wobbly, abnormally small feet. Or maybe I've been in denial. Who knows. All I know is that I have whole heartedly tried to enjoy every waking moment with this child. I try to smell her and kiss her and take in her sweetness at least once a second. It seems the more I want time to hold still, the faster it goes.

Enough of the mush gush. You guys all get the picture...I'm obsessed with her. We were out in our courtyard Wednesday night and I snapped a few pictures of her. Nothing special, nothing thought up (is it ever??), just her being her insanly cute and lovely self. The way I obviously prefer her.



Oh those cheeks and that curvy mouth. I'll take them on a platter.




Happy birthday my sweet little Reesey girl.

Snorkeling

Yesterday coop asked to take a big, big, big bath (sometimes he'll say the adjective 20 times so I get the picture). So while reese napped, I filled up the tub and let him play. He wanted goggles, so I put on the only goggles we own....dave's snorkeling goggles. And I thought, what the heck, I'll show him how to use the snorkel. He didn't quite get the snorkel but still kept trying. Every few minutes I would hear him go under the water, he'd squirm really bad, then come up for air and choke. Then he would do it over and over again. It was cute.






We went to park city for an over-nighter last weekend and I took one picture. Yes, one. So I decided I would put a link on here to my sister, Melissa's, blog so you can see the pics and hear about the fantastic time we had. Only if you want...

http://lifeofelders.blogspot.com/2009/09/labor-day-in-park-city-black-and-white.html

A week, or two, in pictures

I've been away for awhile. Not from home, just the computer. Blogging doesn't excite me lately. But then I fall in love with a picture of my kid(s) and I get excited again.

The past couple weeks have been nice. Just hanging out, doing what we want, being with people we like.

I've taken a few pictures, just to document a few little moments.

I love this girl's eyes. Seriously, sometimes when the light hits them right they look unreal. So sparkly. Besides the basic color pop I use on the entire picture, I don't ever enhance her eyes. They are really that blue.


Cooper's eyes are beautiful, too. Just not as "blue" as Reese's. One of my favorite people, and cousin, stayed with us a couple weeks ago. It was so fun. Brette has an eye for photography. She takes amazing landscape pics and catches beautiful moments with ordinary objects. She took this picture of Cooper that melts my heart. Brette's site is brettegibbphotography.com


Melissa and Brad are always entertaining my kids. They love them so much.



I'm happy to have these guys back from New York. Reese is especially happy to have her hunky and chunky boyfriend back. They are two of a kind. The day after they got home, we went to the lake to send off the boys on kayaks. The babies were too young to go out, so we hung back at shore. I love this picture of her and Ford. So sweet.



Dreamy.



Some pictures from yesterday. Wowsas...her eyes look fake in this picture.


Cooper after his nap. He lays on the floor by the door after he wakes up and takes off the little door stopper. EVERY time he wakes up. It drives me crazy.


Banana popsicle



Cooper has been determined to ride his bike with no training wheels this past week. He would beg and beg for me to take him out. He's worked really hard and know he is rockin. I'm so proud of him. If only he could put that determination into potty training. My life would be a whole lot easier, and less disgusting.


Dave spending what little time he has with the kidlings. He is great with spending every moment he is home with them. This time of year he works a lot. Until October 15th, I don't see him much. I still hate his schedule. But I should be grateful he has a job, right? I just keep reminding myself of that.


Ugh. Sorry the pictures are so big.